# St Piran’s: Italian Surgeon, Forbidden Bride

Margaret McDonagh

Who can resist St Piran’s deliciously sexy new Italian surgeon?Talented neurosurgeon Gio Corezzi’s deliciously dark good looks turn the heads of every female at St Piran’s Hospital – except quiet beauty Jessica Carmichael’s. And Gio can’t help but notice that Jess flinches away from anyone getting too close…With no one to turn to…and nowhere for Jess and her bundle of kittens to live while her dilapidated cottage is being patched up…she knows Gio’s offer of a roof over her head is one she can’t refuse. Now the devastatingly charming Italian has a week to claim the vulnerable Jess’s heart…St Piran’s Hospital Where every drama has a dreamy doctor… and a happy ending

## Welcome to the world of St Piran’s Hospital—

Next to the rugged shores of Penhally Bay lies the picturesque Cornish town of St Piran, where you’ll find a bustling hospital famed for the dedication, talent and passion of its staff—on and off the wards!

Under the warmth of the Cornish sun, Italian doctors, heart surgeons and playboy princes discover that romance blossoms in the most unlikely of places…

You’ll also meet the devilishly handsome Dr Josh O’Hara and the beautiful, fragile Megan Phillips… and discover the secret that tore these star-crossed lovers apart.

Turn the page to step into St Piran’s—where every drama has a dreamy doctor… and a happy ending.

## About the Author

MARGARET MCDONAGH says of herself: ‘I began losing myself in the magical world of books from a very young age, and I always knew that I had to write, pursuing the dream for over twenty years, often with cussed stubbornness in the face of rejection letters! Despite having numerous romance novellas, short stories and serials published, the news that my first “proper book” had been accepted by Harlequin Mills & Boon for their MedicalTM Romance line brought indescribable joy! Having a passion for learning makes researching an involving pleasure, and I love developing new characters, getting to know them, setting them challenges to overcome. The hardest part is saying goodbye to them, because they become so real to me. And I always fall in love with my heroes! Writing and reading books, keeping in touch with friends, watching sport and meeting the demands of my four-legged companions keeps me well occupied. I hope you enjoy reading this book as much as I loved writing it.’

www.margaretmcdonagh.com

margaret.mcdonagh@yahoo.co.uk

Dear Reader

Having taken part in the Penhally series, I was honoured to be part of this exciting new project, returning to Cornwall but broadening the focus and scope beyond the village of Penhally itself. This new series centres around St Piran’s Hospital and its staff, delving into their lives and their loves. I am delighted to bring you ST PIRAN’S: ITALIAN SURGEON, FORBIDDEN BRIDE.

Consultant neurosurgeon Giovanni Correzi has been through dark times, and now focuses on his patients and his charity work. Highly respected and sought-after, why has he left a high-flying post in London and moved to rural Cornwall? Gio has strong reasons for choosing St Piran’s. He just didn’t expect to meet a woman who awakens his heart from its long hibernation. Four years ago, counsellor Jessica Carmichael’s world came crashing down around her. She has reinvented herself and carved her own niche in Cornwall, but a dark shadow hangs over her, setting her apart and holding her back from life.

Gio and Jess share an immediate but unwanted attraction. Their professional respect rapidly grows into a close friendship, and when events cause them to spend time together it becomes increasingly difficult for them to deny their feelings. But Jess is adamant that friendship is all they can share, and Gio has to tread gently to learn her secrets, earn her trust and win her heart.

Can these two come together with a promise of new hope for the future and the second chance at love they both deserve? Gio and Jess touched my heart. I hope you will share their journey and fall in love with them too! Welcome to St Piran’s!

Love

Margaret

www.margaretmcdonagh.com

margaret.mcdonagh@yahoo.co.uk

## ST PIRAN’S HOSPITAL

Where every drama has a dreamy doctor… and a happy ending.

Last month we brought you the first two St Piran’s stories!

Nick Tremayne and Kate Althorp finally got their happy-ever-after in: ST PIRAN’S: THE WEDDING OF THE YEAR by Caroline Anderson

Dr Izzy Bailey was swept off her feet by sexy Spaniard Diego Ramirez ST PIRAN’S: RESCUING PREGNANT CINDERELLA by Carol Marinelli

And there’s plenty more romance brewing in St Piran’s!

The arrival of Italian neurosurgeon Giovanni Corezzi will make you forget the cold this month ST PIRAN’S: ITALIAN SURGEON, FORBIDDEN BRIDE by Margaret McDonagh

Daredevil doc William MacNeil unexpectedly discovers that he’s a father in February ST PIRAN’S: DAREDEVIL, DOCTOR… AND DAD! by Anne Fraser

The new heart surgeon has everyone’s pulses racing in March ST PIRAN’S: THE BROODING HEART SURGEON by Alison Roberts

Fireman Tom Nicholson steals Flora Loveday’s heart in April ST PIRAN’S: THE FIREMAN AND NURSE LOVEDAY by Kate Hardy

Newborn twins could just bring a May marriage miracle for Brianna and Connor Taylor ST PIRAN’S: TINY MIRACLE TWINS by Maggie Kingsley

And playboy Prince Alessandro Cavalieri comes to St Piran in June ST PIRAN’S: PRINCE ON THE CHILDREN’S WARD by Sarah Morgan

## ST PIRAN’S: ITALIAN. SURGEON, FORBIDDEN. BRIDE. MARGARET McDONAGH


www.millsandboon.co.uk

With special thanks to:

The Medical™ Romance team for inviting me to be a part of this wonderful project and my fellow authors for their support, especially…

Jo, Lucy, Mimi, Sheila, Carol, Caroline, Kate and Maggie Charlie & Will—for ‘Charlie’… and for making the best bears in the world!

Namlife for the information on living with HIV: www.namlife.org

## CHAPTER ONE

‘YOU need Jessica Carmichael.’

He didn’t need anyone… not any more.

Giovanni Corezzi bit back his instant denial of the suggestion made by paediatric registrar Dr Megan Phillips. It was his first day as consultant neurosurgeon at St Piran’s Hospital in Cornwall and although his primary focus was always on doing his best for his patients, he also hoped to make a good impression and to form a friendly working relationship with his new colleagues.

‘Jessica Carmichael?’

He frowned, disturbed at the way the unknown woman’s name flowed from his tongue. As if it were a caress. And somehow important. What nonsense was he thinking? With an impatient shake of his head, he refocused on Megan.

‘Jess is a hospital counsellor. She’s very knowledgeable and good with patients and their relatives,’ the paediatric registrar explained with obvious admiration. ‘Unfortunately we don’t have extra time for everyone. Jess fills that gap.’

‘I’ll bear it in mind,’ Gio replied, knowing the involvement of a counsellor was often helpful to his patients but reluctant to bring one in now.

‘It’s your decision.’ Megan’s disappointment and disagreement were apparent. ‘I think you’d find Jess useful in Cody Rowland’s case.’

Gio bit back irritation as the young registrar questioned his judgement. Instead of an instant retort, however, he considered whether he had missed anything regarding the young boy admitted to his care. Three-year-old Cody had fallen from a climbing frame two weeks previously, but had not shown any symptoms at the time. Recently he had become increasingly listless, complaining of a headache, going off his food and feeling nauseous. His frightened parents had brought him to the hospital that morning.

A and E consultant Josh O’Hara had examined Cody and called the neurology team. Busy in Theatre, Gio had sent his registrar to do an assessment. The subsequent tests, including a CT scan, had revealed the presence of a chronic subdural haematoma. As the bleed had continued and the clot had increased in size, it had caused a rise in pressure and the swelling brain to press on the skull, causing bruising and a restriction in blood flow.

Cody was now on the children’s ward and awaiting surgery. Unless he carried out the operation soon, Gio feared the boy’s condition would deteriorate and, if the clot and pressure continued to grow, there was a possibility of irreversible brain damage.

It was after noon and his first day was proving to be a hectic one. That morning he had undertaken three minor and routine operations—as minor and routine as any brain surgery procedures could be—and his first neurological clinic was scheduled later that afternoon. Before that, he needed to return to the operating theatre with Cody.

‘I’m sure this woman is good at her job,’ he commented, ‘but Cody—’

‘Cody might need Jess at some point. Right now I’m thinking of his parents.’

Gio hated to admit it, but she was right. He did have concerns about the Rowlands and that Megan had picked up on the same signs was something he should find pleasing, not irritating.

‘They aren’t coping well,’ he conceded with frustration. ‘And their anxiety is distressing Cody. I need him to be settled for surgery?and for his parents to be calm and understand why we need to operate. I wish to press on them the urgency without further panicking them. They are listening but not hearing, you know?’

‘I know,’ Megan agreed. ‘They’re in denial… Mrs Rowland particularly.’

‘Exactly so. Which is understandable. I’m not unsympathetic but I don’t know how much time we have to play with.’

Megan hesitated, as if unsure of her ground. ‘That’s why I suggested Jess. I’m sorry to keep on about her, and I’m not questioning your skills,’ she added hastily as his eyebrows snapped together. ‘But I know how helpful she is in these situations. Everyone in the hospital likes Jess. She’s a wonderful listener… and it isn’t just the patients and their relatives who benefit. The staff frequently offload their problems on her, too. She’s definitely your woman.’

Gio’s frown returned in earnest, both at Megan’s phraseology and the implication of her words. ‘I don’t know…’

Was he being too hasty? It was uncharacteristic of him not to listen to the suggestions of others, even if they were his juniors. He considered his reluctance to follow Megan’s advice. Was it because he didn’t want his new colleagues to think he couldn’t do his job? Here he was, halfway through his first day and already needing to call in someone else to help with a case! He shook his head. What mattered was the well-being of his patients, not his own status.

Checking his watch, aware that he was now the one wasting precious time, he wondered how long it would take for Ms Carmichael to arrive. Once she was there, he would need to bring her up to date on the case and, as yet, he had no idea how much she understood of medical issues.

‘Won’t she be tied up with existing appointments?’ he asked Megan. ‘Cody can’t afford to wait much longer.’

‘Jess doesn’t work like that, Mr Corezzi. She’s on call and responds to whichever department or ward has need of her. It’s just a matter of paging her—she usually comes right away,’ the paediatric registrar explained, jotting a note on the front of Cody’s file.

‘Call me Gio.’ He made the invitation with a distracted smile as he considered his options. He needed Cody in Theatre without further delay. If this counsellor could help facilitate that, then so be it. ‘All right, Megan, please call her,’ he invited, decision made, adding a word of caution. ‘However, if she’s not here soon, we may have to move without her.’

Megan’s smile was swift. ‘You won’t be sorry, Gio,’ she assured him, and he could only hope she was right.

‘I’ll ensure the operating theatre and my team are ready. And I’ll arrange for the anaesthetist to assess Cody,’ he informed her. ‘Everything will be in place and we can move quickly?when we have the Rowlands’ consent.’

As Megan went to the ward office to organise the page, an inexplicable shiver of apprehension and anticipation rippled down Gio’s spine. He had done the right thing for Cody. So why did he feel unsettled? And why did he have the disturbing notion that in bringing Jessica Carmichael on board he would be taking on much more than he had bargained for?

‘Consultants don’t spend time taking histories or chatting to patients and their relatives. That’s why they have registrars and juniors,’ Jess protested with a mix of wry cynicism and surprise.

Megan chuckled. ‘This consultant does. He’s pretty amazing, Jess, and very hands on.’

The news that Mr Corezzi remained on the ward was disturbing enough, but knowing Megan was so taken with their new consultant neurosurgeon left Jess feeling more unsettled. A sense of premonition refused to be banished. On edge, she opened her notebook and balanced it on top of the other items she carried, jotting down a few pointers as her friend gave a brief summation of Cody’s case.

‘Mr Corezzi… Gio… will give you more detail,’ Megan added, the prospect making Jess feel more nervous.

‘And Cody is three,’ she mused, considering how best to help. ‘I’ll get Charlie.’

‘Who is Charlie?’

The question came from behind her and the deep, throaty voice with its distinctive Italian accent not only identified its owner but set every nerve-ending tingling. Jess knew it was his first day there, and within moments of his arrival the overactive grapevine had been buzzing about the gorgeous new consultant. Female staff the length and breadth of the hospital had been preening themselves, eager to meet him and make an impression on him.

She had not been one of them.

Jess tensed, her knuckles whitening as her fingers tightened their grip on her files. Clutching them like a protective shield, and feeling suddenly scared in a way she didn’t understand, she turned around and saw Giovanni Corezzi for the first time.

Oh, my!

For once the rumourmill had been right. The new Italian surgeon was something special to look at and even she, who had sworn off men a long time ago, could appreciate the view. A bit like window-shopping, she thought, smothering an inappropriate smile. You could admire the goods even though you had no intention of buying. But her inner humour vanished in the face of her body’s impossible-to-ignore reaction.

She hated the breathless feeling that made it difficult to fill her lungs, the ache that knotted her stomach, the too-fast beat of her heart, and jelly-like knees that felt unable to support her. The instinctive responses were unnerving and unwanted. She had not been attracted to any man for a long time—had not expected or wished to be. Not since her life had taken an abrupt change of direction four years ago, turning her world upside down and having an irrevocable impact on her future, forcing her not only to abandon her hopes and dreams but to reinvent herself to survive. The Jess Carmichael of today was a very different person from the one then… one who could no longer indulge in many things, including uncharacteristic flights of fancy over a good-looking man, even if he did stir her blood in ways it had never been stirred before.

Trying to shrug off the disturbing feelings, she allowed herself a quick inspection of the imposing man who stood before her looking relaxed and at ease. His dark hair was short, thick and well groomed. In his early thirties, and topping six feet, he had an olive-toned complexion and the kind of chiselled jawline that would make him sought after in Hollywood or gracing the pages of fashion magazines. Not that he was fashionable at the moment, dressed as he was in hospital scrubs, suggesting he had come to the ward from the operating theatre.

The shapeless trousers and short-sleeved tunic should have been unflattering but they failed to mask the strength and lean athleticism of his body, while their colour emphasised the intense blueness of his eyes. Under straight, dark brows and fringed by long, dusky lashes, they were the shade of the rarest tanzanite. They regarded her with a wariness she shared, a suspicion that had her shifting uncomfortably, and the kind of masculine interest and sensual awareness that frightened her witless.

Aware that Megan was making the introductions, Jess struggled to pull herself together.

‘Ms Carmichael.’

The throaty rumble of his voice made her pulse race and ruined her attempt at sang-froid. ‘Hello, Mr Corezzi.’

Jess dragged her gaze free and focused on the leanly muscled forearms crossed over his broad chest. As he moved, she juggled the files and assorted items she carried around the hospital, anxious to avoid shaking hands. Instead, she fished out one of her cards, careful to ensure she didn’t touch him. His fingers closed around the card and she couldn’t help but notice that he had nice hands. Surgeon’s hands… capable, cared for and with short, well-manicured nails. There was no wedding ring and no tell-tale sign to suggest he had recently worn one. His only accessory was the watch on his left wrist with its mesh strap and midnight-blue dial.

The sound of Megan’s pager made Jess jump but the distraction helped cut the growing tension.

‘I’m needed in A and E,’ Megan told them with evident reluctance, her cheeks pale and lines of strain around her mouth.

‘Are you OK?’ Jess asked, knowing her friend’s reluctance stemmed from some unexplained issues she had with Josh O’Hara, the charismatic consultant who had joined St Piran’s trauma team in the spring.

‘I’ll be fine.’

The words lacked conviction and Jess was concerned. Tall and slender, Megan appeared delicate, but although she possessed an inner strength, she had seemed more fragile than usual these last few weeks. Instinct made Jess want to give her friend a hug, but she hung back, keeping the physical distance she had maintained between herself and everyone else these last four years.

‘I’m here if you need me,’ she offered instead, conscious of the disturbing nearness of Giovanni Corezzi, whose presence prevented her saying more.

‘Thanks.’ Megan squared her shoulders, determination mixing with anxiety and inner hurt that shadowed her green eyes. ‘I’ll see you later. Good luck with the Rowlands. And Cody’s surgery.’

Alone with Giovanni Corezzi, Jess felt a return of the tension and awareness that surged between them. Determined to focus on work, and needing to put distance between herself and the disturbing new surgeon, Jess murmured an apology and escaped to the ward office to track down Charlie.

Gio released a shaky breath as the surprising Jessica Carmichael walked away. He had no idea who Charlie was, or how he was relevant to the current problem, but he had greater things to worry about. Namely Jessica and his unaccountably disturbing reaction to her.

As the staff went about their work on the busy ward, he leaned against the wall and pressed one hand to his stomach. The moment he’d seen Jessica, it had felt as if he’d been sat on by an elephant. She was younger than he’d expected, perhaps in her late twenties. Below average height, she looked smart but casual, dressed for the August heat in a multi-coloured crinkle-cotton skirt that fell to her knees and a short-sleeved green shirt, her hospital ID clipped, like his own, to the top pocket.

Her eyes were a captivating and unusual olive green, while her hair—a gift from mother nature—was a vibrant auburn, with shades from burnished chestnut, like a conker fresh from its casing, to rich copper red. The luxuriant waves were confined in a thick plait which bobbed between her shoulder blades. He longed to see it unrestrained and to run his fingers through its glory.

When Jessica emerged from the ward office, the disturbing heaviness pressed on him once more. He straightened, shocked by the slam of attraction that shot through him. The cut of her shirt highlighted firm, full breasts, while the sway of her skirt hinted at curvy hips and thighs. He found her rounded, feminine figure so much more appealing than the reed-thin bodies many women aspired to.

Gio took an involuntary step back, disturbed by the surge of desire that threatened to overwhelm him with its unexpected intensity. This was the first time he had even noticed a woman for a long time. He couldn’t believe it had been five years—No! He slammed his brain shut on those thoughts. This was neither the time nor the place. But he’d allowed a crack in the internal armour encasing the memories, the pain and his heart, and panic swelled within him. He didn’t want to be attracted to anyone, yet he could not deny the strength of his reaction to Jessica or the way his body was reawakening and making new desires and needs known.

Disconcerted, he met her gaze and saw her eyes widen in shock at the unmasked emotions she read in his. She kept a safe gap between them, but she was close enough for him to see her shock turn to confusion, followed by answering knowledge and then alarm. Silence stretched and the air crackled with electricity. It was clear Jessica didn’t want the attraction any more than he did, but that didn’t make it go away. And, perversely, her reluctance intrigued him and made him want to learn more about her.

She stepped aside to allow a nurse pushing a wheelchair to pass, her smile transforming her pretty face and trapping the air in his lungs. Cross with himself, he was about to return to the business of Cody Rowland when she shifted the things she was carrying and he noticed the teddy-bear puppet she wore on one hand.

‘Meet Charlie,’ she invited, holding up the plush toy, which had marbled brown fur and a friendly, mischievous face, its mouth open as if laughing. ‘He helps break the ice and explain things to young children, calming their fears.’

The husky but melodic burr of her soft Scottish accent was sensual and set his heart thudding. Feeling as flustered as a teenager with his first crush, he struggled to ignore his unwanted reaction and focus on the matter at hand.

‘Very clever.’ Her innovative method impressed him. He reached out and gently shook the teddy bear by the paw. ‘It’s nice to meet you, Charlie.’

Jessica’s flustered reaction confirmed his suspicion that giving him her card had been a ruse to avoid shaking hands. Was it him, or did she dislike touching other people, too? That he was immediately attuned to her unsettled him further.

‘What are the priorities with Cody?’ Jessica asked, moving them onto ground which, he felt sure, made her feel more comfortable. ‘Have his parents signed the consent form?’

‘Not yet.’ Gio ran the fingers of one hand through his hair in frustration. ‘The injury occurred over two weeks ago,’ he explained, unsure how much Megan had told her. ‘The parents are too upset to understand that while Cody may have appeared fine at first, the situation has changed.’

‘And you don’t want to waste more time.’

Grateful that Jessica was on his wavelength, Gio smiled. ‘Exactly so.’

‘He’s deteriorating more quickly?’ she asked, glancing at the notes.

‘What was a slow bleed building a chronic subdural haematoma could be worsening,’ he outlined, sharing his concerns. ‘Or something more serious could be underlying it.’

Jessica nodded, making her beautiful hair gleam. ‘And the longer you wait, the more chance there is of permanent brain damage.’

‘I’m afraid so.’

‘His parents must be very confused.’ Her expression softened with understanding. ‘They may feel guilty for not realising that what seemed an innocuous incident has become something so serious.’

‘There is no question of blame, although such feelings are common,’ he agreed, impressed by Jessica.

Her smile was rueful. ‘I come across this in a wide variety of circumstances. We need to explain things to the Rowlands without frightening them further.’

‘Yes… and Megan says you’re the best person to help.’

A wash of colour warmed her flawless alabaster cheeks. ‘I’ll do what I can, of course.’

‘Thank you, Jessica.’

Again her name felt right, unsettling him and curbing his amusement at her flustered reaction. Ignoring the hum of attraction between them by concentrating on work might not be effective long term, but hopefully it would get them through this encounter.

‘Do you have suggestions about the Rowlands?’

Her relief was evident and she nodded again, loosening some strands of fiery hair, which tumbled around her face. As she raised her free hand, he saw that her fingers were ring free, and that she wore a narrow silver-toned watch around her wrist. She tucked the errant curls behind her ear, drawing his attention to the attractive stud earrings she wore. Set in white metal, the olive green stones matched her eyes and he made a mental note to discover the identity of the gem that so suited her.

‘We need their consent so Cody can go to Theatre without delay. Then I can spend time with them and run through everything in more detail.’ Even, white teeth nibbled the sensual swell of her rosy lower lip, nearly giving him heart failure. ‘Do you have a rough guestimate on how long the operation might take?’ she queried, snapping his attention back to business. ‘The Rowlands will ask—and I need to reorganise my schedule to support them.’

Gio was encouraged by Jessica’s common-sense approach, knowledge and apparent dedication to her patients. With real hope of a resolution, he gave her all the information he could.

‘Can you talk with the father while I try the mother?’ she asked next, walking briskly towards Cody’s room.

He would happily do anything to speed things along. ‘No problem.’

Following her, he admired her gently rounded, mouthwatering curves. As she stepped into Cody’s room, sunlight spilling through the window made the natural red, copper and chestnut tones of her hair glow like living flames, captivating him. And, for the briefest instant, as he stood close behind her before she shifted to give him more room, he could have sworn he caught a faint, tantalising aroma of chocolate.

Fanciful notions vanished as he observed that Cody appeared more listless than when he had checked him several minutes ago. His frightened young mother sat close to him, clinging to his hand, tears spilling down her cheeks. The father, scarcely more than a boy himself, stood to one side, pale and withdrawn, at a loss to know what to do.

Jessica glanced over her shoulder and he met her gaze. The connection between them felt electric and intense, and it took a huge effort to look away. Clearing his throat, he introduced her to the Rowlands.

As Jessica began the delicate process of winning the trust of the troubled young family, Gio released another shaky breath. He was in big trouble. He had sensed Jessica would be more than he’d bargained for. Professionally. What he could never have foreseen was the impact she would have on him personally. It was unexpected, unwanted and scary. But bubbling within, as yet unacknowledged and unexplored, was growing excitement.

Even as they worked together to see Cody and his parents through the trauma that had befallen them, Gio was aware of the simmering connection between himself and Jessica. However hard they fought it, it was not going away.

All he knew for sure was that Jessica threatened to blow the ordered and lonely world he had lived in these last five years wide apart, and that her impact on his life would not leave him unscathed.

## CHAPTER TWO

SHE didn’t look any different.

Jess peered at her reflection in the mirror above the basin in the tiny bathroom next to her office. She wasn’t sure what she’d expected to see, but she felt different. Changed somehow. And scared. Because of Giovanni Corezzi. Thinking about him made her pulse race and raised her temperature to an uncomfortable level?one she couldn’t blame on the scorching August weather.

After splashing cool water on her overheated cheeks, she buried her face in the softness of her towel. Even with her eyes closed, images of St Piran’s new Italian surgeon filled her mind. Unsettled by her reaction to him, she had endeavoured to keep things on a professional footing, determined to banish the disturbing feelings he roused within her.

She hadn’t wanted to like him, but it had proved impossible not to. Ignoring the inexplicable and overwhelming blaze of attraction would have been easier had he been arrogant and horrible to work with, but nothing was further from the truth. He’d been compassionate and patient. As his initial suspicion had evaporated once he had witnessed her with the Rowlands, the likelihood was that she would be called to work with him again.

What was she going to do?

Jess sighed, discarding the towel and glancing at her reflection again. Less than an hour in his company had left her shaken and anxious. Megan had been right to describe him as hands on and caring. It was something Jess admired, yet it made him even more dangerous to her.

She had to find a way to limit his impact on her. He had reawakened things long forgotten, things she would sooner remained buried. She had to fight the desire he roused in her… because nothing could come of it. Ever. And she was leaving herself open to heartache if, even for a moment, she allowed herself to imagine anything else.

For the last four years, since the bombshell had hit her, changing her life for ever, she had turned in on herself, keeping focused on her new career and keeping people at bay. She hadn’t worked so hard to reinvent herself to allow the first man to stir her long-dormant hormones into action to undo everything she had achieved. In the unlikely event she could ever trust a man again, there was no way she could allow any kind of relationship to develop. Not beyond friendship. To do so would be too great a risk. Besides, once Giovanni learned the truth she had kept secret for so long, he wouldn’t want her anyway.

Quashing disobedient feelings of disappointment and regret—and, worse, a flash of self-pity—Jess hardened her battered heart. She had to keep Giovanni Corezzi at a distance and ensure any meetings with him were kept as professional and brief as possible.

Shocked how late it was, she returned to her office. She’d had to rearrange her schedule for the Rowlands, which meant she had much to catch up on and now she would have to rush if she was not to be late for an important appointment.

Five days ago, and less than three weeks after moving into the run-down cottage she had bought near Penhally village, an unseasonal storm had caused serious damage. Today the insurance company’s assessor was carrying out an inspection, after which Jess hoped permission would be given for the repairs. The sooner the better… before anyone discovered the unconventional lengths she was going to to keep a roof over her head.

Smothering her guilt, she took care of a few urgent tasks before shutting down her computer. She just had time to dash across the grounds to see hospital handyman Sid Evans and collect the precious cargo he was watching for her.

‘Hello, Jess, love,’ the kindly man greeted her as she hurried through his open workshop door. ‘Everything is ready for you.’

‘Thanks, Sid.’

‘Here we are, all present and correct,’ he told her in his lilting Welsh accent as he handed her a basket.

‘I’m sorry to rush, Sid. Thanks for your help.’

‘No worries.’ He smiled, but Jess could see the sadness that lurked in his eyes. Following the recent death of Winnie, Sid’s beloved wife of forty years, Jess had taken time to visit with him. ‘And I’m the one who’s grateful. You’ve been wonderful, love, letting me talk about my Winnie. I’ll not forget it.’

‘It’s been my privilege,’ she replied, a lump in her throat.

Jess hurried back to the psychology unit, glad everyone had left for the day, allowing her to sneak the basket into her odd little annexe at the back of the building. Dubbed the ‘cubby hole’, it had been assigned to her as the only spare room available, but she couldn’t have been more pleased. Apart from the office and next-door bathroom, it had an adjoining anteroom and a basic kitchen. Away from the main offices, it gave her privacy, which suited her just fine. Especially with circumstances as they were… circumstances no one else knew about and which brought another surge of guilt.

Setting down the basket, Jess checked the contents then picked up her bag and keys. The sooner she went home, the sooner she could return to St Piran’s. Hopefully she would be too busy in the coming hours to think about Giovanni Corezzi.

Opening her office door, she hurried out, only to collide with something solid and warm and smelling divinely of clean male with a hint of citrus and musk. Her ‘Oh’ of surprise was muffled against a broad chest as she lost her balance.

‘Easy there,’ Giovanni’s voice soothed.

His hands steadied her, closing on her bare arms above the elbows. She felt the impact of his touch in every particle of her being, the brush of his fingers on sensitive skin making her tingle. She felt as if she’d been branded. A bolt of awareness and long-suppressed need blazed through her, scaring her.

The urge to lean into him and savour the moment was very strong. It seemed for ever since she had been touched and held, even in a platonic way. Not that there was anything platonic about the way Giovanni made her feel! But that knowledge acted like a bucket of icy water. Panic gripped her, both at the physical contact and her overwhelming reaction to this man. The need to break the spell overrode everything else and she struggled free, her desperation causing her to push away from him with more force than she had intended.

‘What are you doing here?’ she challenged brusquely.

Intense blue eyes regarded her with curiosity. ‘Forgive me, I didn’t know this part of the hospital was out of bounds.’ His tone was gently teasing, but a blush stained her cheeks in acknowledgement of her uncharacteristic rudeness.

‘It’s not, of course, Mr Corezzi, but—’ Jess broke off. Everything about him threw her into confusion.

‘Please, call me Gio. I came to update you on Cody,’ he explained, his throaty voice and sexy accent sending a shiver down her spine. ‘And to thank you for your help.’

Her breath locked in her lungs as he rewarded her with a full-wattage smile. ‘I was just doing my job.’

‘I also wish to discuss another patient soon to be admitted whom I feel will benefit from your involvement,’ he continued.

‘That’s fine. But is it urgent? I’m in a hurry.’

Although she had softened her tone, his dark eyebrows drew together in a frown. ‘It’s not urgent, but I hoped you’d have a minute…’

‘I’m afraid I don’t.’ Jess cursed her stiltedness. She seemed unable to behave normally around him. ‘I’m sorry, I have to rush home. I’ll talk with you later.’

Eager to make her escape without him seeing inside her office and discovering the secret she had kept hidden so far, Jess fumbled behind her for the handle and pulled the door closed with a determined snap. She turned round, removing herself from his inspection, locked her office and pocketed the key. Then, carefully skirting him, she walked briskly to the main entrance, conscious of him following her.

‘Jessica…’

The way he said her name tied her insides into knots. It wasn’t just his voice or pronunciation but that he alone used her full name and made it sound like a caress. Thankful she had a genuine excuse to escape, she opened the front door and stepped aside for him to exit ahead of her.

‘I have to run,’ she said, concerned at his reluctance to leave.

A muscle pulsed along the masculine line of his jaw, indicating his dissatisfaction. When he stepped outside, allowing her to do the same, the door swinging closed and the lock clicking into place, Jess released the breath she hadn’t realised she’d been holding.

He looked down at her, a brooding expression on his far-too-handsome face. ‘Later.’

It was more demand than question and it filled Jess with alarm… and a dangerous sense of excited anticipation that was the most scary of all.

‘Later,’ she allowed reluctantly.

As she hurried towards her car, she sensed him watching her. So much for her earlier resolution. He was going to be more difficult to avoid than she’d anticipated. And this second encounter had confirmed what a risk he posed to the carefully constructed world she had manufactured for herself. Now a sexy Italian neurosurgeon had bulldozed his way into her life and was in danger of unravelling everything she had worked so hard for.

Heavy-hearted at the way his first day at St Piran’s was ending, Gio washed, disposed of his scrubs and dressed in the jeans and short-sleeved shirt he had pulled on after arriving home. He’d not long left the hospital after making a final check of his patients when the emergency call had come for him to return.

A multidisciplinary team had assembled in Theatre, but despite their best efforts their nineteen-year-old casualty had succumbed to severe chest trauma and brain damage after an alcohol-induced accident.

Gio sighed at the waste of a life. Pain stabbed inside him as his thoughts strayed to another young life that had been cut cruelly short and he closed his eyes, determined to control his emotions and push the destructive memories away. Instead, he found himself thinking of Jessica Carmichael.

His impulsive visit to her office in the psychology unit—situated in one of the buildings adjacent to the main hospital and abutting the consultants’ car park—had not gone to plan. He usually got on well with people. ‘You could sell sand in the desert, Cori!’ Remembering the teasing words brought both amusement and an ache to his heart. Friendliness, politeness and a touch of flattery soothed troubled waters, but it wasn’t working with Jessica, who remained tense and reserved.

Their unsatisfactory encounter had disappointed and confused him. He lived for his job, trying each day to make up for the failings that had haunted him for the last five years. Which was why his immediate and intense response to Jessica had shocked him. She had affected him on a deeply personal level. And he didn’t do personal. Not any more. His reaction—and the attraction he wished he could deny—left him disconcerted and off balance.

When she had rushed out of her office and cannoned into him, instinct had taken over and he’d caught her as she’d stumbled. He’d felt the incredible softness of her skin under his fingers, the press of her femininely curved body against him, and he’d breathed in the teasing aroma of chocolate that lingered on her hair and skin. His attraction and body’s response to her had been instant and undeniable.

But it was Jessica’s reactions that had left him puzzled and unsettled. Her alarm had been real, and he had not imagined the panic in her beautiful green eyes as she’d wrenched herself free. For some reason Jessica didn’t like to touch or be touched and he was determined to find out what lay behind it. There were several possibilities and each one caused him concern.

Gio stepped out of the surgeons’ wash room, unsure what to do next. Why had Jessica been so dismissive of him and in such a rush to leave? He was positive she had felt the same bolt of awareness that had slammed into him when they’d first met. And that it had scared her. So could it be, he wondered, heading to the paediatric intensive care unit to check on Cody, that Jessica’s cool professionalism and anxiety were flight responses? Was she trying to ignore the feelings and make them go away? If so, he could tell her it didn’t work.

Using his swipe card, he let himself into PICU. Aside from the noise of the various monitoring machines and ventilators, the unit was quiet and dimly lit. He nodded to the charge nurse on duty and made his way to the bay that held Cody’s bed. As he approached, he heard voices, one of which was Jessica’s. He halted, surprised. What was she doing back here at this time of night? Curious, he listened before making his presence known.

‘And when I think what could have happened,’ Elsa Rowland commented, fear and guilt lacing her voice.

‘You mustn’t blame yourself, Elsa,’ he heard Jessica respond softly, the gentle burr of her Scottish accent so attractive to him. ‘A chronic subdural haematoma builds gradually. It can be weeks, even months, before the symptoms show. You did the right thing bringing Cody to A and E as soon as you realised something was wrong.’

‘Thank you.’ The woman’s relief was tangible. ‘I know Mr Corezzi explained it all to us but I didn’t take anything in. And someone told me he’s new. The thought of Cody’s head being cut open is frightening.’

‘Of course it is. But you can trust Mr Corezzi. He might be new to St Piran’s but he’s a very skilled and highly respected consultant neurosurgeon and he’s come to us from London with a tremendous reputation,’ Jessica explained to the anxious woman, her glowing endorsement of him taking Gio by surprise.

‘Cody looks so still and small. Are you sure everything is all right?’ the tearful mother asked, and although Gio wanted to reassure her, he was keen to hear what Jessica would say.

‘He’s doing very well,’ she replied, her tone conveying sympathy and authority. ‘It’s standard procedure for him to be in Intensive Care following the operation.’

Gio was impressed. He was also intrigued by the depth of Jessica’s knowledge. She seemed too assured and informed for someone with no medical training.

‘Ally’s gone to get something to eat. The nurses want us to go home, but I can’t bear to be away from Cody,’ Elsa fretted.

‘There’s a cot in a room nearby for parents to use, and I’d advise you both to get what sleep you can there. But after tonight it would be best to get back into a normal routine. You and Ally need to keep strong so you are fit and ready to take Cody home,’ Jessica urged, her common-sense approach pleasing him. ‘I’ll see you again tomorrow, but you can ring me if you need anything.’

There was a pause in the conversation and Gio waited a moment before making a sound and entering the bay. Elsa Rowland gave him a weary smile as he greeted her, but his attention immediately strayed to Jessica. She tensed, her gaze skittering to his and away again, a delicate flush of colour staining her cheeks.

As he checked Cody, who was sleeping peacefully, and looked over his chart, Gio was attuned to Jessica. What was she doing back at the hospital? Had she misled him when she’d said she was leaving for the day? He hoped to find answers as soon as Cody’s father returned and, after a few pleasantries, Gio was able to escort Jessica out.

‘I was surprised to see you,’ he told her once they had left the unit and were in no danger of being overheard. ‘I thought you had left for the day.’

Once more a tinge of colour warmed her smooth cheeks. ‘I had to rush home to meet the insurance company’s assessor. I said I’d be back,’ she added defensively, refusing to meet his gaze.

She had said that but he’d assumed she had meant the next day. Apparently unsure what to do with her hands now that she was no longer carrying the assorted paraphernalia he’d seen her with before, she pushed them into her skirt pockets.

‘What about you? Why are you still here?’

Her questions cut across the electrically charged atmosphere that hummed between them.

‘I was called in after a young woman was knocked down by a coach.’ He gave her a brief summary of the events and the unsuccessful struggle in the operating theatre. ‘Her injuries were too severe… there was nothing we could do.’

Jessica’s expression softened, understanding and sympathy visible in her olive-green eyes, and in her voice when she spoke. ‘What a rotten end to your first day.’

‘It could have finished on a better note,’ Gio admitted with a rueful shrug, running the fingers of one hand through his hair.

Leaning back against the wall, Jessica met his gaze, and he witnessed her first real smile for him. Dio, but she was beautiful! The heavy weight settled back on his chest, making it difficult to breathe, and he felt each rapid thud of his heart.

‘If it’s not too late and you still want to talk about your patient…’Jessica’s words trailed off and she bit her lip, looking hesitant and unsure.

‘That would be good, thank you.’ He’d take any opportunity to spend time with this elusive and most puzzling woman. ‘Shall we go to the canteen? I’ve not eaten and the now congealed ready meal waiting in my microwave holds no appeal.’

Gio thought she was going to refuse and he found himself holding his breath as he waited for her answer. That it meant so much to him and he wanted so badly to be in her company should have worried him—would have worried him even one day ago. But in the short hours since he had met Jessica he felt changed somehow. Where this inexplicable but intense attraction was heading he had no idea, but he was keen to find out.

‘All right.’

However reluctantly given, her agreement cheered him, and as he walked by her side down the deserted hospital corridor he felt as if he was setting out on one of the most important journeys of his life… with no map to help guide him and no clue as to the final destination.

## CHAPTER THREE

‘THAT wretched woman!’

Jess looked up in surprise as Brianna Flannigan, a nursing sister from the neonatal intensive care and special care baby units, banged a plate down on the canteen table and sat down, joining Megan and herself.

‘What woman?’ Jess and Megan asked in unison, concerned that the gentle, dedicated and softly spoken Brianna was so upset.

‘Rita.’

Rita was the ward clerk in NICU/SCBU and renowned for nosing into other people’s business, making her opinions, and often her disapproval, known. Few people took notice of her, but none wanted to fall under her spotlight. Both Brianna and Megan had suffered when Rita had picked on them in the past, and news she was hassling Brianna again brought out Jess’s protective instincts.

‘I’m sorry.’ She sent her friend a sympathetic smile. ‘What brought this on?’

Brianna idly pushed her salad around the plate. ‘Now Diego and Izzy are no longer occupying Rita, she’s refocused on me,’ Brianna explained, frustration and displeasure in her lilting Irish voice.

‘Tell her to mind her own business… that’s what I do,’ Megan riposted, stirring a sugar into her mug of tea. ‘Not that it stops her. She’s started making comments about me again, too.’

Jess knew Rita wasn’t easily diverted once she set her mind on something. She suppressed a shiver. The idea of anyone probing into her past and her secrets was too awful to contemplate.

‘She’s always been nosy and judgemental. I thought she’d given up on me, but now she’s asking where I came from and what I did before I joined St Piran’s,’ Brianna continued.

Jess recognised the dark shadows in her friend’s brown eyes and couldn’t help but wonder what had put them there.

‘She’ll never change,’ Megan predicted. ‘If she’s not prying into someone’s business, she’s having a go about single mothers… or teenage ones. And don’t get her started on her daughter.’

‘What’s wrong with her daughter?’ Jess queried with a frown.

Megan dunked a biscuit in her tea. ‘Nothing. That’s the point. Marina’s been happily married for twenty years and has several children—I’ve treated some of them for the usual childhood accidents and illnesses. They’re a great family. Noisy and loving. Maybe that’s what bugs Rita. She claims Marina married beneath her and shouldn’t have had such a big family,’ Megan finished, brushing crumbs from her lip.

‘It’s true she picks on Marina,’ Brianna agreed. ‘She finds fault with her grandchildren, too.’

The talk made Jess even more grateful that she had managed to avoid Rita’s attention and speculation. Megan and Brianna were the closest she had to friends, yet they knew no more about her than she did about them, even after the years they had known each other. Which was probably why they got along so well. The mutual trust was there and they guarded each other’s privacy, sharing an unspoken agreement not to ask personal questions, yet they could turn to one another should they need to, knowing their confidence would be respected.

‘Rita’s also asking questions about Gio Corezzi,’ Brianna added, snapping Jess from her thoughts.

‘Why would she start on him?’ she asked, fighting a blush at the mention of Gio’s name. ‘She hasn’t even met him, has she?’

Brianna nodded. ‘She met him this morning. We all did. We have a baby with hydrocephalus—along with several other problems, the poor mite—and Richard Brooke called Gio up to the unit for advice,’ the caring Irish woman explained, referring to the consultant who headed NICU.

‘What sort of questions is Rita asking?’ Jess queried, striving for casual indifference.

‘She wants to know why someone who was such a wow in London would chose to “bury himself” in Cornwall,’ Brianna told them, spearing some food with her fork. ‘She saw Gio in the consultants’ car park with James Alexander, chatting about cars—apparently they own the same model Aston Martin, but in different colours, so Rita’s sure Gio’s loaded.’

‘For goodness’ sake,’ Megan responded, with the same disgust Jess was feeling.

‘Rita asked Gio if his wife would be joining him here.’ Brianna paused, and Jess steeled herself for what her friend would reveal next. ‘Gio said,“Unfortunately not,” and you could see the speculation in Rita’s eyes until Gio added, after a deliberate pause,“She’s dead.” It was just awful. I felt terrible for him. He looked so sad. Even Rita was embarrassed, and that’s saying something.’

As Brianna and Megan discussed Rita-avoidance tactics, Jess sat back and battled her emotions. Her heart squeezed with pain at the news of Gio’s loss. Concerned for him, she also felt guilty for the unstoppable flicker of relief that he wasn’t already taken. Not that she had any future with him. Or with anyone. But she couldn’t help wondering what had happened… or question why he hadn’t told her himself. Not that it was her business. She respected his privacy. And she hadn’t told him her secrets.

Discovering how protective and possessive she felt of Gio was disconcerting. She knew the answer to some of Rita’s questions, but she would never divulge them. Not even to Brianna and Megan. Not because they might gossip, they wouldn’t, but for much more complicated reasons. She didn’t want to admit to her friends, or to herself, how much she enjoyed and looked forward to Gio’s company.

After Gio had returned to the hospital on the evening of his first day and had found her in PICU with the Rowlands, they had spent well over an hour in the canteen together. She’d had little time to wonder if he’d overheard any of her conversation with Cody’s mother because she’d been pole-axed by the charge of electricity and blaze of sensual awareness that hit her every time she saw him. He’d looked gorgeous in jeans and a blue shirt, the shadow of stubble darkening his masculine jaw making him seem rakish and dangerous.

The canteen had been far less crowded than it was now, Jess acknowledged, shifting her chair in to allow a group of nurses to pass and access a nearby table. Gio had chosen a full meal, while she’d opted for a small bottle of mineral water and a packet of sandwiches… out of habit selecting things in disposable packaging. She hadn’t budgeted for an extra snack, but as she’d not eaten anything but a banana and an apple since breakfast, she’d been hungry.

Having sunk everything she’d had into buying her cottage, she was counting every penny. The storm damage had been an unforeseen disaster but the insurance company was going to cover repairs for her roof despite the policy only being a month old. Having overstretched herself on the property, she was having to be frugal with everything else, not that she had hinted at the sorry state of her finances to Gio—or anyone else.

‘Have you always worked here?’ Gio had asked, turning their conversation that first night away from his patients and to work in general as he’d tucked into his dessert.

‘No. I joined St Piran’s when I was in the final year of my training,’ she’d explained to him, amazed he’d found room for apple pie and cream after the large portion of lasagne that had preceded it. ‘They asked me to stay on once I’d qualified.’

What she hadn’t told him had been the extent of her relief that she’d not needed to move on again, something she had done several times since the life-changing bombshell had brought things crashing down around her. She’d carved out a niche for herself in St Piran, fulfilling a role that patients, relatives and staff all appreciated and which allowed her some welcome autonomy.

‘You don’t see patients in your office?’ Gio had queried.

‘Very rarely—although I have done so if circumstances required it,’ she replied, thinking of Izzy, the young A and E doctor who, then six months pregnant, had wanted to return to work after taking leave following the traumatic time she had experienced.

It hadn’t been easy, for Izzy or herself, but things had worked out well. Now Izzy had a beautiful baby girl and an amazing new man in her life in the shape of attractive Spaniard Diego, who had been a charge nurse in NICU/SCBU, and Jess wished them all the happiness in the world.

‘My role is more immediate,’ she had gone on to tell Gio. ‘I give emergency help to those who need it, be that on the wards, in A and E, or elsewhere in the hospital.’

‘Like the Rowlands.’ Gio’s smile had nearly stopped her heart.

‘Y-yes.’ Flustered, she’d tried to get a grip. ‘There can be a wide variety of situations… parents making difficult decisions about treatment for their child, or a young man who has crashed his motorbike and, overnight, has gone from being fit and active to waking up in hospital to the news he’ll never walk again. Or it could be an older person who’s had a stroke and is unable to return to their home. Or a relative in A and E trying to come to terms with a sudden bereavement.’

Something dark and painful had flashed in Gio’s intense blue eyes, alerting Jess to the possibility there had been some traumatic event in his past. She hadn’t pried, and Gio had declined to refer to it, but she had wondered about his background.

‘So you see people through those first stages?’ he’d asked next, pushing his empty dish aside and reclaiming her attention.

‘That’s right. Sometimes people need a shoulder to cry on and a friend in their corner. Others need greater help and back-up. I can liaise with other departments and with agencies outside the hospital that can offer care, advice and support, like social services, or relatives who have expectations that the patient may not want,’ she’d explained, finding him easy to talk to. ‘My job is to support them and their rights, and to help them achieve the best solution to whatever problem they’re facing. If they need ongoing counselling once they leave hospital, they are assigned to one of my colleagues through Outpatients, or to an outside support organisation.’

Gio had shaken his head. ‘I hadn’t realised the full extent of what you do for people. It’s very impressive… you’re very impressive. I can see why everyone here respects you so much.’

The admiration in his eyes and praise in his sexy voice had warmed her right through and brought an uncharacteristic sting of tears to her eyes. ‘It’s hardly brain surgery,’ she’d quipped to mask her embarrassment.

Gio’s husky chuckle of appreciation had tightened the knot of awareness low in her tummy, and a sudden wave of longing had stolen her breath and made her realise how alone she had been these last four years. She enjoyed a friendship with Megan and Brianna, but it didn’t extended beyond work and could never fill the cold and lonely void that had grown inside her since her life had turned upside down.

‘Your first day’s been hectic and hasn’t ended in the best of ways, but how have you found St Piran’s?’ Jess had asked, anxious to move the conversation away from herself.

‘I would rather not have returned to Theatre for that poor girl tonight,’ he’d admitted, and she had seen the lines of tiredness around his eyes. ‘But I’ve enjoyed today and it’s good to be in near the beginning of a new unit for the hospital. It was one of the reasons I took the job. I was impressed with Gordon Ainsworth, the senior neurological consultant, the state-of-the-art equipment and the plans to increase the neurosurgical services here. Being able to help shape those services and build my own team appealed to me. Of course, many people cannot understand why I would leave London to come here.’

‘It’s none of their business, is it? If it’s what you want, that’s all that matters,’ she’d told him, his surprised expression suggesting her matter-of-fact support had been in short supply.

‘Thank you.’ His slow, intimate smile had threatened to unravel her completely. ‘St Piran’s offered me new challenges and fresh opportunities, as well as the chance of more rapid career progression.’

It had made sense to her. ‘Better to be a big fish in a small pond?’

Again the smile with its devastating effect on her. ‘But it’s much more than that… more than what I might gain for myself.’ He’d leaned forward and folded his arms on the table, a pout of consideration shaping his sexy mouth. ‘I commit a fair bit of time and money to a charitable trust that not only funds research, equipment for hospitals in various countries and support for patients and their families with brain tumours and other neurological conditions. We also bring children in desperate need of specialist treatment to the UK.’

She hadn’t been surprised to learn of this side to him. She’d seen the kind of doctor he was. Instinct had told her how important the charity work was to him, and she’d suspected there was far more to it than he had told her… reasons why the trust was so close to his heart.

‘That’s fantastic. And it must be so rewarding.’

‘It is. That St Piran’s is interested and has given permission for me to continue to bring over a number of children each year, donating the hospital facilities free of charge, was a huge factor in my decision to come here.’

Jess had been fascinated as he’d talked more about the work he’d done with the trust. Her heart had swelled with pride as she’d thought about his selflessness and determination to use his skills to help others.

‘He is very handsome, isn’t he?’

Brianna’s comment impinged on Jess’s consciousness and she blinked, looking up and following her friend’s gaze in time to see Gio carrying a tray across the canteen and sitting at a table with Ben Carter and James Alexander. Her pulse raced at the sight of him and she had to beat back a dart of jealousy at Brianna’s evident appreciation of Gio’s looks.

The man in question turned his head and met her gaze. For several moments it was as if there was no one else in the canteen?the myriad conversations going on all around her faded to a background hum and everything was a blur but Gio himself. A shiver ran down her spine and a very real sense of fear clutched at her. Less than a week and already this man had breached her defences and become all too important to her.

What was she going to do? If she allowed the friendship to develop, she knew things would end in heartbreak. Despite knowing that, and despite a desperate need to preserve all she had achieved these last four years, she wasn’t sure she could give Gio up.

A sudden clatter and burst of laughter from across the room caught the attention of everyone in the canteen and snapped Gio’s gaze away from Jessica. He glanced round in time to see three junior doctors trying to contain the mess from a can of fizzy drink as the liquid spewed from the top in a bubbly fountain, soaking everything and everyone within range.

‘The Three Stooges,’ Ben commented wryly.

James chuckled. ‘Were we ever that young and foolish and confident?’

‘Probably!’ Ben allowed.

Gio tried not to dwell on the past. His memories were mixed, all the happy ones overshadowed by the bad ones and the blackest time of his life. Ben and James, fellow consultants with whom he had struck up an immediate rapport, began detailing the merits of the three rowdy young doctors, but Gio’s attention was inexorably drawn back to Jessica. The now familiar awareness surged through him, tightening his gut and making it difficult to breathe.

Jessica was sitting with two other women. Megan Phillips, the paediatric registrar with whom he worked frequently. And Brianna Flannigan, a kind and dedicated nursing sister in NICU/PICU, whom he’d met for the first time that morning. On the surface, the three women shared many similarities and yet they were distinctly different. And it was only Jessica who made his pulse race and caused his heart, which he had believed to be in permanent cold storage, to flutter with long-forgotten excitement.

They had sat in this very canteen and talked for a long time that first night, yet he’d discovered precious little about her. He, on the other hand, had revealed far more than he’d intended.

Her understanding and support about his move to Cornwall had warmed him. Many people had appreciated his need to leave Italy for New York five years ago. Some had comprehended his decision to leave New York, and the team of the neurosurgeon who had taught him so much, to move to London. But very few had grasped why he had chosen St Piran’s over the other options that had been open to him—options that would have meant more money and working at bigger hospitals.

Those things hadn’t interested him, which had not surprised Jessica. St Piran’s offered the opportunity of advancing to head of department within a decade, Gordon Ainsworth grooming him to take over when he retired, but it had been the administration’s support of his charity work that had swayed his decision.

He’d told Jessica about the trust but not why it was so important to him. Not yet. That he was thinking of doing so showed how far she had burrowed under his skin. Even as warning bells rang in his head, suggesting he was getting too close too quickly, he couldn’t stop himself craving her company and wanting to know more about her.

They’d seen each other often during the week, working together with a couple of new patients and a rapidly improving Cody Rowland. Their friendship grew tighter all the time but Jessica remained nervous. She’d relax for a time then something would cause her to raise her defensive wall again. Her working hours puzzled him, and the extent of her medical knowledge continued to intrigue him.

The little she had revealed about herself centred around her work at St Piran’s. Listening to her describe her role, and witnessing her way with people?including the use of Charlie, the teddy-bear hand puppet, to interact with frightened children?had left him full of admiration for her devotion and skill.

‘Much of my work involves supporting people who face life changes and difficult decisions caused by illness or accident. It’s a huge shock to the system,’ she’d told him and, for a moment her eyes had revealed such intense pain that it had taken his breath away.

He’d wanted to comfort and hug her, but he’d resisted the instinctive urge, aware of Jessica’s aversion to touching and being touched… one of her mysteries he hoped to unravel. But the incident had left him in little doubt that she’d experienced some similar trauma. As had he, he allowed, with his own dart of inner pain.

‘Patients and relatives often try to be strong for each other,’ Jessica had continued with perceptive insight, ‘when often they need to admit that they’re scared and have a bloody good cry.’ She’d sent him a sweet, sad smile that had ripped at his already shredded heart. ‘I’m merely a vehicle, a sounding board, someone outside their normal lives on whom they can offload all the emotion.’

What toll did that take on her? Gio wondered with concern. And who was there for her? They were questions to which he still had no answers.

Without conscious decision or prior arrangement, they’d met each evening in the canteen, lingering over something to eat, discussing work, finding all manner of common interests in books, music and politics, both of them steering clear of anything too personal.

He’d learned very quickly to tread carefully, watching for the triggers that caused her withdrawal. He liked her, enjoyed her company and was comfortable with her but also alive, aroused and challenged, feeling things he’d not experienced in the five long years since his world had come crashing down around him.

Taking things slowly was a necessity. For both of them. But every day he became more deeply involved. So much so that having to say goodnight to her and return alone to his rented house was becoming increasingly difficult.

‘Oh, to be that young and free from responsibility.’

Edged with bitterness, the words were voiced by Josh O’Hara and pulled Gio from his reverie. The Irishman took the final empty chair and set his plate down on the table. Gio regarded the other man, wondering what had sparked his reaction.

‘Something wrong, Josh?’ Ben asked, a frown on his face.

‘Bad day.’ He pushed his food aside untouched. ‘I’ve just had to DOA an eighteen-year-old… I was going to say man, but he was scarcely more than a boy with his whole life ahead of him.’

Gio sympathised, recalling how he’d felt a few days ago when the young woman had died in Theatre from multiple injuries. ‘What happened?’

‘He was an apprentice mechanic at a local garage, driving the work van and following another mechanic who was returning a customer’s car after service,’ Josh explained, emotion in his accented voice as he told the story. ‘Some bozo going home from a liquid lunch at the golf club and driving far too fast ploughed into the van. The boy wasn’t wearing his seat belt, the van had no air-bags, and he went through the windscreen. He had horrible head and facial injuries—apparently he’d been a good-looking boy, not that I could tell—and a broken neck.’

Gio exchanged glances with Ben and James, both of whom were listening with equal solemnity and empathy. ‘And the drunk driver?’ Ben queried, voicing the question in all their minds.

‘Yeah, well, there’s the rub. There’s no justice in this world.’ Josh gave a humourless laugh. ‘The boy’s colleague, who witnessed the crash, is in shock. The drunk driver hasn’t got a scratch on him. The police have arrested him and I hope they throw the book at him, but whatever sentence he gets won’t be enough to make up for that young life, will it?’